reciprocation
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How to get what you want
“Whatever you want emotionally, you have to start giving away.” ~Mary Karr In her best-selling memoir, The Liar’s Club, Mary Karr chronicles her troubled youth and descent into alcoholism. Published in 1995, the book’s raw emotional honesty and humor resonated with readers and topped the NYT bestseller list for a year. Now considered a classic, it’s often studied in memoir writing workshops. Karr’s quote issues a lifelong challenge: You must reach for what you want in your relationships; don’t wait for it all to come to you. If you’re looking for honesty and authenticity, be honest and authentic. If you want more love and attention, give more love and attention.…
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Pure generosity
“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” ~John Wooden My mom was a stickler for good manners, and “reciprocate” was an active verb in her vocabulary. Whenever she was invited to someone’s home for dinner (and whenever she received a gift) she took care to return the favor. She was secretly disappointed when others didn’t follow the same rules of etiquette. While reciprocation is a lovely thing, it took me years to fully appreciate the concept of paying it forward. As today’s quote reminds us, the true spirit of generosity is giving a gift or doing a favor…
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The right balance
“Good relationships are built on mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual effort.” ~Mona Sutphen Friendship experts suggest that “imbalance” is often at the root of relationship trouble. If a relationship feels off, it helps to consider what could be out of balance. Am I talking more than listening? Do I take more than I give? Am I initiating social activities or just waiting for someone to call me? Do I compromise or insist on controlling things? We all have times when we fall short of being present in the ways people need us. Then again, sometimes we expect more than others are able to give us. All said and done,…
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The case for generosity
“We receive as much as we are willing to give, in all manner of things.” ~Florence Scovel Shinn Cindy La Ferle __________ For social media sharing options and more content, please visit the home page.
